Climate Reality Week is all about getting the message out there, loud and clear. What’s the message? The climate is changing, we can’t escape reality. That means we need action to reduce carbon emissions now. Who are we telling that message to? People who are ignoring the warning signs and charging ahead towards a future full of greenhouse gas pollution.
Young people, who’s future is most at stake, are redirecting that traffic. They are pushing the government to put a price on carbon immediately to ensure a safe climate for the generations to come.
During Climate Reality Week some of us are literally redirecting traffic. In Adelaid, youth will dress as construction workers and alert motorists to the ‘danger ahead’, urgently warning them to take an alternate route; a low carbon route.
Adelaid’s action is just one of tons of creative ideas ready to be unleashed when Climate Reality Week starts on May 2nd. In Canberra students are coordinating three different schools to spell out huge letters with the message: “Climate change; its real” Their photographer will snap photos from a plane (carbon offset, of course), involving hundreds of students and reaching thousands. That’s a pretty strong entry, and they are definitely a solid contender for the top prizes.
What are the prizes, you might ask? Climate Reality Week is about securing a safe climate future, but AYCC is making it fun as well as necessary. The people or groups that reach the most people will win cash, travel vouchers, concert tickets, merchandise, and more. The most recently announced prize is a subscription from Girlfriend Magazine – they just keep coming.
In short, Climate Reality Week is bout to be everywhere. On the week of May 2nd we’ll have an ad on Channel 10 to bring even more people in. Our top events will be magnets for media coverage, and this website will feature the best photos pouring in from around the country with creative entries.
Climate Reality Week is coming and if you haven’t entered yet, think about what you might do. This week is more about winning prizes and its more about getting some visibility for creative stunts. Its about putting climate change back on the national political agenda. A year ago we had a looming global climate conference, bi-partisan support for carbon reductions and Australia was making headlines around the world for ratifying the Kyoto protocol.
Now, climate scientists are under attack and the top concerns of most Australians have moved on after the perceived failure of Copenhagen. But young people haven’t forgotten that our future is most at stake. In fact, we’re more sure than ever that its going to require young people to motivate and mobilize the older generations to action.
On the week of May 2nd, do not proceed as usual. Take an extraordinary step and help youth assert two very important and related facts clearly, passionately and persistently: ‘The climate is changing, we need action now.’
Morgan Goodwin is the interim Online Director for the AYCC and blogs about youth climate activism around the world.
